


Subway Car - Random Acts 3

by Ordered_Chaos



Series: Random Acts - Nice things for Castiel [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Cas Deserves to be Happy, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Gen, Homeless Castiel, Hurt Castiel, Hurt/Comfort, Some Swearing, Someone being nice to Cas, Sweet, mention of a veteran committing suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-05
Updated: 2016-06-05
Packaged: 2018-07-12 11:44:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7101868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ordered_Chaos/pseuds/Ordered_Chaos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cas is a person, and he deserves for people to be nice to him. <br/>Exhibit C.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Subway Car - Random Acts 3

**Author's Note:**

> Rated T for language and mention of suicide. Otherwise, this story is purely fluff.

At one point during the siege of Hell, a hellhound had caught him, its teeth tearing into his Grace, trying to drag him away from the fight. He had killed it and continued forward, but its bite had left him with a burning, aching wound that had not healed until his return to Heaven.

The injury had been secondary to his mission, and besides, pain had been different as an angel.

Now, though, Castiel could think of nothing except the fact that his feet felt like they were going to implode. He stood in the crowded subway car, holding onto the handrail and leaning heavily against the door behind him. He could not remember ever feeling this exhausted. He had spent the day running from job interview to job interview, missed two because he couldn’t find them, and then had to sneak past the subway gate because he didn’t have money for the final ride back to the homeless shelter. He had not slept the night before out of nerves and the need to be on guard at all times. His eyes would not stay open and he wanted nothing more than to just collapse.

The subway slid to a stop. Castiel hardly noticed until the doors opened, and he stumbled, his grip on the rail going tight so he didn’t fall out of the train. Quickly, he pushed himself out of the way of the commuters exiting the car. Is seemed like all of them left, and his heart leapt at the sight of empty seats, but before he could get to them, a crowd of elderly people began to mosey into the car. He stood out of the way of their walkers and wheelchairs, surrendering to the fact that he would not get to sit until he had reached the shelter.

“Excuse me,” a woman’s voice said, and he automatically moved out of her way. He dragged his tired eyes up to her as the doors closed behind the last walker and the subway began to move again.

“Hey, um,” the woman said again, and he blinked to focus on her. She had blond hair and an uncertain smile. She was standing on the other side of the railing he clung to.

“Do you want to sit?” she asked, gesturing to the seat behind her. She had clearly just vacated it.

“I’m fine,” Castiel told her. “You can sit.”

“Bullshit,” she told him eloquently. “You look like you could pass out. Sit down.” She stood back, casting a look at the other passengers as if warning them that this seat was still taken. Castiel noticed she was wearing high-heeled boots that made his feet ache harder in sympathy. But he sat.

The woman took his place by the door.

“Thank you,” Castiel told her. “If you want the seat back, I would be more than—”

“I’m fine,” she said. “I’ve been sitting at a desk all day anyway.”

Castiel nodded. He felt his legs relaxing. It seemed like they were turning to dirt, powdery and useless. He sighed.

“I’m Lia,” the woman told him. She was looking down at him curiously.

“Clarence,” he said. “Thank you. I am…not accustomed to taking help from strangers.”

Lia shrugged. “Don’t worry about it,” she said. “I’m glad I got to do something worthwhile today.” Her lips pursed.

Castiel tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

The subway ground to a halt again, and Lia moved closer to the rail to stay out of the way of the flow of commuters. Castiel noticed her eyes were the same blue as Claire’s.

“Oh, nothing. I just have a shit job. Same as most people.”

“But you have a job,” Castiel pointed out.

“You’re looking for one?” she asked, and he nodded. “That sucks. Good luck.”

“Thank you.”

The train started moving again.

“What was your last job?” she asked.

Castiel wondered why she was still bothering to talk to him. “I was…a soldier.”

Lia frowned. “And now you’re unemployed? God, what’s wrong with this country?”

“I don’t think God’s listening,” he muttered.

“My sister served,” she said. “What about your family? Are they helping you out?”

“We're having a disagreement,” Castiel hedged. “I’m on my own at the moment.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, and her eyes had a softness he had not seen in a while. It made his feet ache a little less. “Thank you for everything you’ve done.”

Castiel opened his mouth, but found that he had no response. He looked at the floor.

Lia put a tentative hand on his shoulder. “My stop’s next. I hope everything works out for you,” she said.

“You’re very kind,” Castiel replied. He cleared his throat, and Lia smiled.

“You meet interesting people on the subway,” she said. “I think my sister would have liked you.”

“‘Would have’?” he questioned.

Lia’s shoulders twitched, and she turned her head away. “She killed herself.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Me too.”

There was silence. The subway hit a bend that made Lia readjust her grip on the rail.

Finally, she said, “Just goes to show, even good people have awful shit happen to them.”

He nodded.

The brakes screeched, bringing them to a slow halt. The doors opened.

“Good luck, Clarence,” Lia said, one foot out the door. “I’m glad I met you.”

“Thank you,” Castiel said to her, twisting to face her as she left the train. A crowd of people followed her, blocking his line of sight. “Good bye.”

The doors closed, and he saw Lia wave as the subway pulled off again. He sat forward and stared at his hands until the train slowed once more. Then he got up and left the train, heading for the shelter. His feet were a little less sore.


End file.
